Keypad or Touchscreen: Which is Best for Your Workforce?
Mobile computers with physical keyboards have been around for decades. The most common uses for mobile computers with physical keyboards can be seen in retail environments, warehouse data entry, and manufacturing. Their history in the industry brings some definite pros as the majority of current workers in these industries are used to physical keyboards. Physical keypads have the following benefits: Workers are used to physical keypads Physical keypads can be helpful for efficiency when data entry includes words Workers know where buttons are by looking at them, no need to sort through menus or keyboard types on a touchscreen Physical keys can be mapped to frequently used shortcuts to save steps Once you choose a device with a physical keypad, you are locked into that keypad layout, unless you pay for a (sometimes costly) keypad replacement. Another weakness of physical keypads is that they can be susceptible to operational failure if debris or liquid gets in the keys.